Okay, this is going to sound corny as heck. I was reading Nicholas Sparks' book "A Walk to Remember" and I finally realized what I needed to do to have my stories work better. My characters have to be better narrators. I write in first person like Sparks, and as I was reading his book I saw how his characters do a very good job of describing location and situations.
My characters don't do that. They talk about what they're thinking and feeling, but they never step back and function a true narrator of a story. I dont' know. It's such a simple thing, but I never got it until I read Sparks' book.
Not that Nicholas Sparks is the best writer out there. I like his books and all, especially "The Notebook", but let's face it, he's not the great American novelist. But I'm not either. What he is, is a good story teller. The guy must sell a lot of books because many of his books have been made into movies, and Hollywood tends to only want to make movies from very popular books.
"A Walk to Remember" is even a very good book, and I fell asleep during the movie. The book is completely maudlin and the subject has been done to death, but there was something about his style of writing which really inspired me.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
So the big news we heard today at work is the director for our group is leaving to take a job at another health plan. Personally, I think she left because she knew she wasn't going to get promoted. There was a VP position in the division, but the job was up in Sacramento. Someone else was promoted to the job.
I don't think our director would have made a good VP. She's a great project manager, but I can't see her as a VP. She did get a great job starting up a division at the other health plan, so she didn't do too badly. Here's some fun gossip. She was in the same MBA program as the guy who won on the first "Apprentice".
I don't think our director would have made a good VP. She's a great project manager, but I can't see her as a VP. She did get a great job starting up a division at the other health plan, so she didn't do too badly. Here's some fun gossip. She was in the same MBA program as the guy who won on the first "Apprentice".
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
So I booked my hotel reservations at this nice resort on Kauai that I've been to for meals, they have one of the best brunches on the island, but never to stay. Check the place out - Sheraton Kauai. I get a buffet breakfast every day, which I plan to eat late so I can combine my breakfast and lunch together, and there's a free Mai Tai Happy Hour at sunset. Too bad I don't really drink anymore, although I may have drink a few cocktails just for old time's sake. I've swum at this beach before and it's beautiful. And yeah! There's a decent fitness center so I can work out. There's also internet access, so I will be blogging from the hotel when I get there.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Something strange is happening at my job. I came into work today and there was an invite from the director for our group for a department luncheon. The rumor mill started up and people started gossiping about how some key people in our division left, and that the luncheon which has since been rescheduled till Thursday will be an announcement of these resignations.
The rumor is that the resignations will cause our group to be split up. Nobody knows what's really going on and I'm bummed that we have to wait until Thursday. I hate when your higher-ups do that. If the news is that earth shattering and important, why not just tell us? Even my immediate boss didn't know that the heck was going on. She's not even going to be there because she's going to be in an HR training that day.
One thing I didn't mention last week was that there was layoffs in my division that I found out about when I came back from vacation. There was a woman there who'd been there for years and started a Pain Management program. The program was cut so they laid her off. When I found this out, I realized how grateful I should be just to have my job. The program I was originally hired for was terminated last year, and thankfully there will another program to replace it. Plus I decided my job needed to evolve so I could work on my presentation skills and my bosses agreed and now I'm probably going to have give perhaps 8 presentations this year.
I'm excited about this new development. I gave my first presentation last year and despite my nervousness, it went really well and the group I presented to was very appreciative. With practice, I think I could become very comfortable giving presentations and not have it be the nerve-wracking experience it usually is for me.
I worked on a project last year where I had to facilitate conference call meetings with hospital folks from UCSF Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Hospital in LA, and Childrens Hospital in San Diego. I arranged conference calls with the hospitals folks and the CEO of this quality measurement vendor we were working with from Massachusetts. Those meetings went very well and really gave me a confidence boost. The medical director of quality from Childrens Hospital in San Diego was such a nice guy, and an expert in the field of quality measurement for childrens hospitals. I called him after the meeting and thanked him for his participation, and he was very appreciative.
I am thankful that I was able to evolve my job in a way that I liked and that my bosses liked. I'm also writing a weekly newsletter, which is more of a weekly news briefing. It's my job to see what news stories are relevant to the field of qualtiy measurement and then do a write up with the appropriate weblinks. I like how I get to decide what I think people should read. My boss was excited by my first newsletter and now wants to send it out to the regional medical directors in the company as well as the senior medical quality director and other people she thinks might be interested.
I'm also writing up a ton of research white papers, which I actually like doing. Besides the weekly newsletter, we're also thinking of expanding the quarterly news briefing I was doing into a monthly one because there is just so much news.
I did a ton of writing last week already. I wrote up two one-page briefs for a couple of programs that were needed for meetings one of which was for an external client. Then I wrote and developed a powerpoint presentation for an executive briefing, and also started work on the presentation for our external advisory board meeting in February.
The rumor is that the resignations will cause our group to be split up. Nobody knows what's really going on and I'm bummed that we have to wait until Thursday. I hate when your higher-ups do that. If the news is that earth shattering and important, why not just tell us? Even my immediate boss didn't know that the heck was going on. She's not even going to be there because she's going to be in an HR training that day.
One thing I didn't mention last week was that there was layoffs in my division that I found out about when I came back from vacation. There was a woman there who'd been there for years and started a Pain Management program. The program was cut so they laid her off. When I found this out, I realized how grateful I should be just to have my job. The program I was originally hired for was terminated last year, and thankfully there will another program to replace it. Plus I decided my job needed to evolve so I could work on my presentation skills and my bosses agreed and now I'm probably going to have give perhaps 8 presentations this year.
I'm excited about this new development. I gave my first presentation last year and despite my nervousness, it went really well and the group I presented to was very appreciative. With practice, I think I could become very comfortable giving presentations and not have it be the nerve-wracking experience it usually is for me.
I worked on a project last year where I had to facilitate conference call meetings with hospital folks from UCSF Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Hospital in LA, and Childrens Hospital in San Diego. I arranged conference calls with the hospitals folks and the CEO of this quality measurement vendor we were working with from Massachusetts. Those meetings went very well and really gave me a confidence boost. The medical director of quality from Childrens Hospital in San Diego was such a nice guy, and an expert in the field of quality measurement for childrens hospitals. I called him after the meeting and thanked him for his participation, and he was very appreciative.
I am thankful that I was able to evolve my job in a way that I liked and that my bosses liked. I'm also writing a weekly newsletter, which is more of a weekly news briefing. It's my job to see what news stories are relevant to the field of qualtiy measurement and then do a write up with the appropriate weblinks. I like how I get to decide what I think people should read. My boss was excited by my first newsletter and now wants to send it out to the regional medical directors in the company as well as the senior medical quality director and other people she thinks might be interested.
I'm also writing up a ton of research white papers, which I actually like doing. Besides the weekly newsletter, we're also thinking of expanding the quarterly news briefing I was doing into a monthly one because there is just so much news.
I did a ton of writing last week already. I wrote up two one-page briefs for a couple of programs that were needed for meetings one of which was for an external client. Then I wrote and developed a powerpoint presentation for an executive briefing, and also started work on the presentation for our external advisory board meeting in February.
Check this out - Bomb Found at Starbucks. I know that Starbucks. I've written there before going to the movies. And when I was coming home from Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods) tonight I saw the newspeople interviewing people in front of the place. Little did I know it was because there was a bomb squad earlier there today. How trippy is that?
Sunday, January 08, 2006
I'm having an emotional evening. I am taking a trip back to Kauai to see my uncle who is sick because my aunt told me I had better come and see him now before things get worse. It's so weird trying to plan my trip because I realized tonight that I have no home to go home to. I've usually stayed with my grandmother on the island, but now that she's dead and her house is gone I really don't have a place to stay.
I could stay with my aunt, but I haven't stayed there since highschool and I don't know if I would feel all that comfortable with them because my uncle is sick and bedridden. I've never stayed anywhere else except in my grandmother's house when I visited, although once I stayed in a hotel with a friend because we were both attending a co-worker's wedding and my friend wanted to stay in a hotel. That turned out to be a good thing because my co-worker had all these activities planned for the guests who were flying in for the wedding, so we ended up hanging with the rest of the wedding guests for the whole trip.
I did end up spending one night at home only because my grandmother had a fit that I was on the island and not staying with her to visit.
I had no idea how much it costs to actually stay in a nice hotel on Kauai. Oh well. I think I am going to stay at a resort in Poipu that has its own private beach and the best brunch on the Island, not to mention lots of tennis courts and a workout center. It's going to cost a pretty penny but a friend of mine told me tonight, it would be a nice treat for myself and would make my visit not so emotional to hang with my aunt and uncle and my two cousins who live at home for four days.
Then I'm off to Honolulu to stay with my brother four a couple of days. I've stayed at his house before, which is conveniently located just a 10-minute walk from Waikiki.
What an awful feeling not to have your childhood home there anymore for you stay at. My friend said it happened to her age 20, so I guess I'm lucky it didn't happen to me any sooner.
I could stay with my aunt, but I haven't stayed there since highschool and I don't know if I would feel all that comfortable with them because my uncle is sick and bedridden. I've never stayed anywhere else except in my grandmother's house when I visited, although once I stayed in a hotel with a friend because we were both attending a co-worker's wedding and my friend wanted to stay in a hotel. That turned out to be a good thing because my co-worker had all these activities planned for the guests who were flying in for the wedding, so we ended up hanging with the rest of the wedding guests for the whole trip.
I did end up spending one night at home only because my grandmother had a fit that I was on the island and not staying with her to visit.
I had no idea how much it costs to actually stay in a nice hotel on Kauai. Oh well. I think I am going to stay at a resort in Poipu that has its own private beach and the best brunch on the Island, not to mention lots of tennis courts and a workout center. It's going to cost a pretty penny but a friend of mine told me tonight, it would be a nice treat for myself and would make my visit not so emotional to hang with my aunt and uncle and my two cousins who live at home for four days.
Then I'm off to Honolulu to stay with my brother four a couple of days. I've stayed at his house before, which is conveniently located just a 10-minute walk from Waikiki.
What an awful feeling not to have your childhood home there anymore for you stay at. My friend said it happened to her age 20, so I guess I'm lucky it didn't happen to me any sooner.
My friend Kim and I went to check out the new de Young museum on Saturday with a pair of guest VIP passes she received from a friend of hers. There was a new Egyptian exhibit called "Hatsheput: From Queen to Pharaoh."
As usual it was jam-packed. What is about Egyptian artifacts that people are dying to see? There was some stuff from the Cairo museum and even stuff from the Met that I'd already seen in New York.
Below are some pictures I took from the new tower.
This is a view of downtown where you can see the Bank of America buidling and Transamerica Pyramid. The building on the right is called Lone Mountain and I think it's part of USF. The two towers on the left I think are part of St. Ignatius Church.
This is a view of the opening to the Bay. You can see Marin in the background and the Richmond district where I used to live.
As usual it was jam-packed. What is about Egyptian artifacts that people are dying to see? There was some stuff from the Cairo museum and even stuff from the Met that I'd already seen in New York.
Below are some pictures I took from the new tower.
This is the view looking down at the new de Young garden.
This is a view of downtown where you can see the Bank of America buidling and Transamerica Pyramid. The building on the right is called Lone Mountain and I think it's part of USF. The two towers on the left I think are part of St. Ignatius Church. 
This is a view of the opening to the Bay. You can see Marin in the background and the Richmond district where I used to live.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
I saw King Kong tonight, and despite what the critics say it's a good movie and must see for the big screen. The special effects were amazing! What a thrill ride it was. I don't usually get scared at movie but it has some terrifying moments.
Jack Black was a miscast. The guy is a great comedic actor but a dramatic actor he is not. He was over the top, and Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts put him to shame. Kong was great and if you're a Naomi Watts fan and adore her face, definitely see the movie.
Jack Black was a miscast. The guy is a great comedic actor but a dramatic actor he is not. He was over the top, and Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts put him to shame. Kong was great and if you're a Naomi Watts fan and adore her face, definitely see the movie.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
I was listening to a couple of call-in psychic shows and decided to call up for a reading. I've never called into an interet radio show before and it is so fun to do.
The second psychic told me he saw a lot of spiritual imagery around me. Must have bee JC, and he saw a huge connection to the church. He said I was talented and should pursue my writing and that I would be very successful at it. YEAH!
The second psychic told me he saw a lot of spiritual imagery around me. Must have bee JC, and he saw a huge connection to the church. He said I was talented and should pursue my writing and that I would be very successful at it. YEAH!
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
As I was on my way to work this morning, it occurred to me that this is the first job that I was not eager to return to after a vacation. It's such an odd feeling. I always considered myself the type of person who loved their job and was a pathetic workaholic, but not anymore. I guess it's a good thing because hopefully it will be an incentive for me to focus on my writing.
Still, it feels like I've sort of lost a part of my identity and I'm a little sad about it. If I'm not my job and my career, then who am I really? Until I earn money from my writing, I don't think I will ever consider myself a proper writer.
Still, it feels like I've sort of lost a part of my identity and I'm a little sad about it. If I'm not my job and my career, then who am I really? Until I earn money from my writing, I don't think I will ever consider myself a proper writer.
Monday, January 02, 2006
New Year's eve was great! I spoke to M-Square three times, including one last time at midnight. What a fun way to start the new year. A couple of guy friends called which was very, very nice.
I spent New Year's Day talking to more friends and getting caught up, in between watching the flooding in the North Bay on tv. I even did a couple loads of laundry so my vacation from work wasn't a complete waste.
Today, it was more cleaning after watching a very rainy Rose Bowl parade. I would love to see it in person although I don't know if I could deal with all the crowds.
I rescued my very expensive ($50 each) star-filled linen Pottery Barn curtains that hung in my last apartment from a bag in my closet. I washed them and unfortunately lost a couple of them as they ripped from all the washing. Ah well, I have four left. I can't use them in my present apartment, but they're too pretty to give away so I'm going to keep them until I can use them again.
The rain has finally stopped but we're supposed to get another storm tomorrow. What a drag! My New Year's resolution is to get to work at 7:30 am so I can leave by 4 pm. My plan is to head to the gym and work out. Hopefully, it won't be very crowded at that hour.
It's January and as usual the gym will be crowded, but thankfully by February most people will hae dropped out. I'd like to get home by 6 pm so I can eat by 7 pm, which will then give me the rest of the night to write and relax.
I'll have to change my sleeping habits and try to be in bed by 11 pm. Tomorrow will be awful getting up and getting ready for work since I've been going to bed at around 2 am. If I didn't have a job to go to in the morning, I'd get up very late and go to bed in the wee hours. I am such a night owl naturally.
At least I rearranged my closet while on vacation, threw out another bag of clothes, and even did my ironing. I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to do while on vacation, but I did get a ton of stuff done. I am so not looking forward to going to work tomorrow. Thank god it's only a four day week.
I spent New Year's Day talking to more friends and getting caught up, in between watching the flooding in the North Bay on tv. I even did a couple loads of laundry so my vacation from work wasn't a complete waste.
Today, it was more cleaning after watching a very rainy Rose Bowl parade. I would love to see it in person although I don't know if I could deal with all the crowds.
I rescued my very expensive ($50 each) star-filled linen Pottery Barn curtains that hung in my last apartment from a bag in my closet. I washed them and unfortunately lost a couple of them as they ripped from all the washing. Ah well, I have four left. I can't use them in my present apartment, but they're too pretty to give away so I'm going to keep them until I can use them again.
The rain has finally stopped but we're supposed to get another storm tomorrow. What a drag! My New Year's resolution is to get to work at 7:30 am so I can leave by 4 pm. My plan is to head to the gym and work out. Hopefully, it won't be very crowded at that hour.
It's January and as usual the gym will be crowded, but thankfully by February most people will hae dropped out. I'd like to get home by 6 pm so I can eat by 7 pm, which will then give me the rest of the night to write and relax.
I'll have to change my sleeping habits and try to be in bed by 11 pm. Tomorrow will be awful getting up and getting ready for work since I've been going to bed at around 2 am. If I didn't have a job to go to in the morning, I'd get up very late and go to bed in the wee hours. I am such a night owl naturally.
At least I rearranged my closet while on vacation, threw out another bag of clothes, and even did my ironing. I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to do while on vacation, but I did get a ton of stuff done. I am so not looking forward to going to work tomorrow. Thank god it's only a four day week.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Okay, I guess I should do a 2005 recap and analyze what kind of year it's been. After a shaky beginning having to do with me getting over my breakup with the red-haired guy, it's turned out to be a good year.
In June I met M-Square which was so cool! I haven't met a guy I've really, really like in a long time, and I mean really liked. RHG was fun but M-Square so blows him away. And we just had our six-month anniversary which is so phenomenal. It's been years since I've been in a relationship that's lasted this long, and I'm still not bored. This is definitely a very good sign.
What else? I bought a laptop early in the year which has been such a god-send, that I don't know why I didn't buy one earlier.
Finance wise, I managed to save 10% of my income and also contributed to my 401(k) at work. This is good news for me. I paid off my car loan finally.
Writing wise, it's been an up and down year but I am writing. I submitted a story for publication and got turned down, but I'm happy that I was able to even get to the point of submitting a story. I've got to do more of this in 2006. I joined a new screenwriting class and learned that I can hold my own with writers who have agents. This was a good feeling, and has given me confidence about my own abilities.
Health wise I'm fitting back into my size 8 jeans, jeans that I outgrew some time in December. Hopefully, 2006 will be the year I get my weight down to a number I can maintain easily and control.
Friendship wise, I made four new friends this year. I like when I make new friends. S is a writer too and we're planning to go to a Learning Annex class about agents in February. S is cool and is interested in many of the same things I'm interested in. Then there's my ex-cubemate from Stanford, M. M is cool. She's also a writer and we have fun hanging together. We saw Rent, Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Chronicles of Narnia, together. D & C are also new friends whom I met at work. D left the company but we're still keeping in touch. C is also a writer and she told me I inspired her to start writing again. I think she'd make a great editor for me, since she has PhD in English and was hired to be a writer at my company.
My old friend D was just hired by my company working for HR. When we worked together, we used to hang out and go to lunch every week. She and I are planning to resume our lunchtime habits in 2006. It's so great to have a lunch buddy at work.
Creativity wise, other than writing I took two beading classes and am making my own jewelry. I even made M-Square an earring from these extra beads I had and sent it to him. He thinks it might be a little too feminine for him to wear, but I don't think so. I like that we have matching earrings. It's so cute!
So all in all, it's been a good year.
In June I met M-Square which was so cool! I haven't met a guy I've really, really like in a long time, and I mean really liked. RHG was fun but M-Square so blows him away. And we just had our six-month anniversary which is so phenomenal. It's been years since I've been in a relationship that's lasted this long, and I'm still not bored. This is definitely a very good sign.
What else? I bought a laptop early in the year which has been such a god-send, that I don't know why I didn't buy one earlier.
Finance wise, I managed to save 10% of my income and also contributed to my 401(k) at work. This is good news for me. I paid off my car loan finally.
Writing wise, it's been an up and down year but I am writing. I submitted a story for publication and got turned down, but I'm happy that I was able to even get to the point of submitting a story. I've got to do more of this in 2006. I joined a new screenwriting class and learned that I can hold my own with writers who have agents. This was a good feeling, and has given me confidence about my own abilities.
Health wise I'm fitting back into my size 8 jeans, jeans that I outgrew some time in December. Hopefully, 2006 will be the year I get my weight down to a number I can maintain easily and control.
Friendship wise, I made four new friends this year. I like when I make new friends. S is a writer too and we're planning to go to a Learning Annex class about agents in February. S is cool and is interested in many of the same things I'm interested in. Then there's my ex-cubemate from Stanford, M. M is cool. She's also a writer and we have fun hanging together. We saw Rent, Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Chronicles of Narnia, together. D & C are also new friends whom I met at work. D left the company but we're still keeping in touch. C is also a writer and she told me I inspired her to start writing again. I think she'd make a great editor for me, since she has PhD in English and was hired to be a writer at my company.
My old friend D was just hired by my company working for HR. When we worked together, we used to hang out and go to lunch every week. She and I are planning to resume our lunchtime habits in 2006. It's so great to have a lunch buddy at work.
Creativity wise, other than writing I took two beading classes and am making my own jewelry. I even made M-Square an earring from these extra beads I had and sent it to him. He thinks it might be a little too feminine for him to wear, but I don't think so. I like that we have matching earrings. It's so cute!
So all in all, it's been a good year.
I'm sure everyone has seen this list but it's very interesting anyway. How many of these gadgets have you owned?
The Complete List of PC World's 50 Greatest Gadgets
PC World's list of the top 50 tech gadgets of the last half century was assembled after we polled our editors for nominations. We then rated the nominated gadgets for usefulness, design, degree of innovation, influence on subsequent gadgets, and the "cool factor." Here are the results. (For more on our 50 Greatest Gadgets project, see the full story.)
1. Sony Walkman TPS-L2 (1979) - my favourite - I was addicted to mine for a long time and owned several versions. The last one I had finally broke last year.
Apple iPod (2001)
(Tie) ReplayTV RTV2001 and TiVo HDR110 (1999)
PalmPilot 1000 (1996)
Sony CDP-101 (1982)
Motorola StarTAC (1996)
Atari Video Computer System (1977)
Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera (1972)
M-Systems DiskOnKey (2000)
Regency TR-1 (1954)
Sony PlayStation 2 (2000)
Motorola Razr V3 (2004)
Motorola PageWriter (1996)
BlackBerry 850 Wireless Handheld (1998)
Phonemate Model 400 (1971)
Texas Instruments Speak & Spell (1978)
Texas Instruments SR-10 (1973)
Diamond Multimedia Rio PMP300 %281998)
Sony Handycam DCR-VX1000 (1995)
Handspring Treo 600 (2003)
Zenith Space Command (1956)
Hamilton Pulsar (1972)
Kodak Instamatic 100 (1963)
MITS Altair 8800 (1975)
Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 (1983)
Nintendo Game Boy (1989)
Commodore 64 (1982)
Apple Newton MessagePad (1994)
Sony Betamax (1975)
Sanyo SCP-5300 (2002)
iRobot Roomba Intelligent Floorvac (2002)
Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer (1999)
Franklin Rolodex Electronics REX PC Companion (1997)
Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System 10 (1998)
Motorola DynaTAC 8000X (1983)
Iomega Zip Drive (1995)
Magnavox Magnavision Model 8000 DiscoVision Videodisc Player (1978)
Milton Bradley Simon (1978)
Play, Inc Snappy Video Snapshot (1996)
Connectix QuickCam (1994)
BellSouth/IBM Simon Personal Communicator (1993)
Motorola Handie Talkie HT-220 Slimline (1969)
Polaroid Swinger (1965)
Sony Aibo ERS-110 (1999)
Sony Mavica MVC-FD5 (1997)
Learjet Stereo-8 (1965)
Timex/Sinclair 1000 (1982)
Sharp Wizard OZ-7000 (1989)
Jakks Pacific TV Games (2002)
Poqet PC Model PQ-0164 (1990)
The Link.
The Complete List of PC World's 50 Greatest Gadgets
PC World's list of the top 50 tech gadgets of the last half century was assembled after we polled our editors for nominations. We then rated the nominated gadgets for usefulness, design, degree of innovation, influence on subsequent gadgets, and the "cool factor." Here are the results. (For more on our 50 Greatest Gadgets project, see the full story.)
1. Sony Walkman TPS-L2 (1979) - my favourite - I was addicted to mine for a long time and owned several versions. The last one I had finally broke last year.
Apple iPod (2001)
(Tie) ReplayTV RTV2001 and TiVo HDR110 (1999)
PalmPilot 1000 (1996)
Sony CDP-101 (1982)
Motorola StarTAC (1996)
Atari Video Computer System (1977)
Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera (1972)
M-Systems DiskOnKey (2000)
Regency TR-1 (1954)
Sony PlayStation 2 (2000)
Motorola Razr V3 (2004)
Motorola PageWriter (1996)
BlackBerry 850 Wireless Handheld (1998)
Phonemate Model 400 (1971)
Texas Instruments Speak & Spell (1978)
Texas Instruments SR-10 (1973)
Diamond Multimedia Rio PMP300 %281998)
Sony Handycam DCR-VX1000 (1995)
Handspring Treo 600 (2003)
Zenith Space Command (1956)
Hamilton Pulsar (1972)
Kodak Instamatic 100 (1963)
MITS Altair 8800 (1975)
Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 (1983)
Nintendo Game Boy (1989)
Commodore 64 (1982)
Apple Newton MessagePad (1994)
Sony Betamax (1975)
Sanyo SCP-5300 (2002)
iRobot Roomba Intelligent Floorvac (2002)
Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer (1999)
Franklin Rolodex Electronics REX PC Companion (1997)
Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System 10 (1998)
Motorola DynaTAC 8000X (1983)
Iomega Zip Drive (1995)
Magnavox Magnavision Model 8000 DiscoVision Videodisc Player (1978)
Milton Bradley Simon (1978)
Play, Inc Snappy Video Snapshot (1996)
Connectix QuickCam (1994)
BellSouth/IBM Simon Personal Communicator (1993)
Motorola Handie Talkie HT-220 Slimline (1969)
Polaroid Swinger (1965)
Sony Aibo ERS-110 (1999)
Sony Mavica MVC-FD5 (1997)
Learjet Stereo-8 (1965)
Timex/Sinclair 1000 (1982)
Sharp Wizard OZ-7000 (1989)
Jakks Pacific TV Games (2002)
Poqet PC Model PQ-0164 (1990)
The Link.
The Top Politically inCorrect Words and Phrases for 2005:
1. Misguided Criminals for Terrorist: The BBC attempts to strip away all emotion by using what it considers neutral descriptions when describing those who carried out the bombings in the London Tubes. The rub: the professed intent of these misguided criminals was to kill, without warning, as many innocents as possible (which is the common definition for the term, terrorist). The phrase was selected by GLM as but one example in line with the published BBC Editorial Guidelines where it is noted that the word 'terrorist' itself can be a barrier rather than aid to understanding. Suggested alternatives include: bomber, attacker, insurgent and militant, among others. These and similar words are deemed to have no emotional or value judgments. However, the word Terrorist can be used as long as it appears in a quoted attribution.
2. Intrinsic Aptitude (or lack thereof) was a suggestion by Lawrence Summers, the president of Harvard, on why women might be underrepresented in engineering and science. He was nearly fired for his speculation.
3. Thought Shower or Word Shower substituting for brainstorm so as not to offend those with brain disorders such as epilepsy.
4. Scum or "la racaille" for French citizens of Moslem and North African descent inhabiting the projects ringing French Cities. France's Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, used this most Politically inCorrect (and reprehensible) label to describe the young rioters (and by extension all the inhabitants of the Cites).
5. Out of the Mainstream when used to describe the ideology of any political opponent: At one time slavery was in the mainstream, thinking the sun orbited the earth was in the mainstream, having your blood sucked out by leeches was in the mainstream. What's so great about being in the mainstream?
6. Deferred Success as a euphemism for the word fail. The Professional Association of Teachers in the UK considered a proposal to replace any notion of failure with deferred success in order to bolster students self-esteem.
7. Womyn for Women to distance the word from man. This in spite of the fact that the term man in the original Indo-European is gender neutral (as have been its successors for some 5,000 years).
8. C.E. for A.D.: Is the current year A.D. 2005 or 2005 C.E.? There is a movement to strip A.D. (Latin for "In the Year of the Lord") from the year designation used in the West since the 5th century and replace it with the supposedly more neutral Common Era (though the zero reference year for the beginning of the Common Era remains the year of Christ's birth).
9. "God Rest Ye Merry Persons" for "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen": A Christmas, eh, Holiday, carol with 500 years of history is not enough to sway the Anglican Church at Cardiff Cathedral (Wales) from changing the original lyrics. There are those who suggest going one step further: "Higher Power Rest Ye Merry Persons".
10. Banning the word Mate: the Department of Parliamentary Services in Canberra issued a general warning to its security staff banning the use of the word 'mate' in dealings t with both members of Parliament and the public. What next? banning 'no worries' so as not to offend the worried, or banning 'Down Under' So as not to offend those of us who live in the "Up Over".
The link to the article.
1. Misguided Criminals for Terrorist: The BBC attempts to strip away all emotion by using what it considers neutral descriptions when describing those who carried out the bombings in the London Tubes. The rub: the professed intent of these misguided criminals was to kill, without warning, as many innocents as possible (which is the common definition for the term, terrorist). The phrase was selected by GLM as but one example in line with the published BBC Editorial Guidelines where it is noted that the word 'terrorist' itself can be a barrier rather than aid to understanding. Suggested alternatives include: bomber, attacker, insurgent and militant, among others. These and similar words are deemed to have no emotional or value judgments. However, the word Terrorist can be used as long as it appears in a quoted attribution.
2. Intrinsic Aptitude (or lack thereof) was a suggestion by Lawrence Summers, the president of Harvard, on why women might be underrepresented in engineering and science. He was nearly fired for his speculation.
3. Thought Shower or Word Shower substituting for brainstorm so as not to offend those with brain disorders such as epilepsy.
4. Scum or "la racaille" for French citizens of Moslem and North African descent inhabiting the projects ringing French Cities. France's Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, used this most Politically inCorrect (and reprehensible) label to describe the young rioters (and by extension all the inhabitants of the Cites).
5. Out of the Mainstream when used to describe the ideology of any political opponent: At one time slavery was in the mainstream, thinking the sun orbited the earth was in the mainstream, having your blood sucked out by leeches was in the mainstream. What's so great about being in the mainstream?
6. Deferred Success as a euphemism for the word fail. The Professional Association of Teachers in the UK considered a proposal to replace any notion of failure with deferred success in order to bolster students self-esteem.
7. Womyn for Women to distance the word from man. This in spite of the fact that the term man in the original Indo-European is gender neutral (as have been its successors for some 5,000 years).
8. C.E. for A.D.: Is the current year A.D. 2005 or 2005 C.E.? There is a movement to strip A.D. (Latin for "In the Year of the Lord") from the year designation used in the West since the 5th century and replace it with the supposedly more neutral Common Era (though the zero reference year for the beginning of the Common Era remains the year of Christ's birth).
9. "God Rest Ye Merry Persons" for "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen": A Christmas, eh, Holiday, carol with 500 years of history is not enough to sway the Anglican Church at Cardiff Cathedral (Wales) from changing the original lyrics. There are those who suggest going one step further: "Higher Power Rest Ye Merry Persons".
10. Banning the word Mate: the Department of Parliamentary Services in Canberra issued a general warning to its security staff banning the use of the word 'mate' in dealings t with both members of Parliament and the public. What next? banning 'no worries' so as not to offend the worried, or banning 'Down Under' So as not to offend those of us who live in the "Up Over".
The link to the article.
I saw two more movies this week.
Chronicles of Narnia was great! It's fun to see a book you've read come to life on screen. The film pretty much stuck to the plot of the book like the first Harry Potter movie. I loved Aslan. Is he symbolic of JC? Who knows ... if you're JC-inclined, everything will remind you of him. Heck, I saw "Field of Dreams" and I thought the line "If you build it, he will come" was all about JC. The four child actors were great. The British film industy must be having a field day because of all of these movies with Brit child actors.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was very good as well. It was the first Potter movie where I was really engrossed in the plot. All the actors have grown up, except Daniel Radcliffe it seems. Hermoine looks much as older as does Ron and his brothers. And Neville Longbottom has gotten so tall. This film was much darker which is in keeping with the book. Harry and Ron make perfect goofy awkward teenagers; they are both definitely late bloomers.
Chronicles of Narnia was great! It's fun to see a book you've read come to life on screen. The film pretty much stuck to the plot of the book like the first Harry Potter movie. I loved Aslan. Is he symbolic of JC? Who knows ... if you're JC-inclined, everything will remind you of him. Heck, I saw "Field of Dreams" and I thought the line "If you build it, he will come" was all about JC. The four child actors were great. The British film industy must be having a field day because of all of these movies with Brit child actors.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was very good as well. It was the first Potter movie where I was really engrossed in the plot. All the actors have grown up, except Daniel Radcliffe it seems. Hermoine looks much as older as does Ron and his brothers. And Neville Longbottom has gotten so tall. This film was much darker which is in keeping with the book. Harry and Ron make perfect goofy awkward teenagers; they are both definitely late bloomers.
Happy New Year's Eve! I'm at home watching tv. Boring huh? I didn't know what the weather was going to be like so I didn't make any plans. Just as well, the storm last night was so intense! I kept waking up every two hours from the noise of the rain hitting my windows.
I had lobster for Christmas so I am repeating that incredibly delicious dinner and having lobster again tonight.
I am watching the news about the flooding in the North Bay. Just last January my friend and I were up there and it's weird to see the places we visited now flooded. I should be grateful I have power. Some people in the city are without power tonight.
Here's a good exercise to do for the new year. Name Your Year. My screenwriting teacher Madeline gave us this exercise and she swears it works.; you have to be careful though. Her mother named 2005 to be year of fun and adventure and she ended up moving to Costa Rica. I named 2006 to be "A year of events happening in my life that will make me delightfully happy". It's vague but it should cover everything I want for myself next year.
I sp0ke to M-Square earlier and he was exhausted. He went to work today and there was so much to do. I miss him but it's probably a good thing I didn't drive down there with the rainy weather. Some of the roads I would have driven back home on have been flooded. I'm going to talk to him later if he doesn't fall asleep first. Business has been slow but it picked these last couple of weeks so the boy is making money, which is always a good thing.
I got my car fixed and everything is alright. The airbag light problem is finally fixed and the car has dried out although it does smell a little mildewy. I'm going to have it detailed next next month.
I had lobster for Christmas so I am repeating that incredibly delicious dinner and having lobster again tonight.
I am watching the news about the flooding in the North Bay. Just last January my friend and I were up there and it's weird to see the places we visited now flooded. I should be grateful I have power. Some people in the city are without power tonight.
Here's a good exercise to do for the new year. Name Your Year. My screenwriting teacher Madeline gave us this exercise and she swears it works.; you have to be careful though. Her mother named 2005 to be year of fun and adventure and she ended up moving to Costa Rica. I named 2006 to be "A year of events happening in my life that will make me delightfully happy". It's vague but it should cover everything I want for myself next year.
I sp0ke to M-Square earlier and he was exhausted. He went to work today and there was so much to do. I miss him but it's probably a good thing I didn't drive down there with the rainy weather. Some of the roads I would have driven back home on have been flooded. I'm going to talk to him later if he doesn't fall asleep first. Business has been slow but it picked these last couple of weeks so the boy is making money, which is always a good thing.
I got my car fixed and everything is alright. The airbag light problem is finally fixed and the car has dried out although it does smell a little mildewy. I'm going to have it detailed next next month.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Thursday, December 29, 2005
This is disturbing news to me ...
Full-scale terrorist attacks against Israel will resume Jan. 1 unless Abbas surrenders to terms laid down by Jihad Islami, the Popular Resistance Committees and Fatah-al Aqsa BrigadesDecember 26, 2005, 10:32 PM (GMT+02:00)
DEBKAfile reports: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has refused to withdrawthe 200 Palestinian security personnel posted in the northern Gaza Strip, sofrustrating the Sharon government’s no-go tactic in this region and effortsto curb Qassam attacks. This Palestinian force therefore provides the Qassam missile crews with a protective umbrella against Israeli artillery, which isforced to confine its shelling to vacant land.Taking part in the Qassam offensive now are the Jihad Islami and factions ofthe Al Aqsa Brigades backed and paid by the Fatah old guard, led by prime minister Ahmed Qureia, which is now at war with Mahmoud Abbas. If Abbas refuses to postpone the January 25 election - in obedience to their diktat -these groups plus the PRC will re-ignite full-scale attacks on Israel. Thisis designed to prompt large-scale Israeli retaliation and generate a crisis that precludes voting - and so deprive Hamas of its predicted victory. Their deadline for this ultimatum is Jan. 1. Israel has thus become a hostage to the Palestinian factional war. Earlier Monday, a Fatah-al Aqsa Brigades spokesman revealed the acquisitionof new missiles of 25km range, the first able to reach to points north ofAshkelon. He spoke of creating a Palestinian buffer belt on Israeli territory north of the Gaza Strip.
Full-scale terrorist attacks against Israel will resume Jan. 1 unless Abbas surrenders to terms laid down by Jihad Islami, the Popular Resistance Committees and Fatah-al Aqsa BrigadesDecember 26, 2005, 10:32 PM (GMT+02:00)
DEBKAfile reports: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has refused to withdrawthe 200 Palestinian security personnel posted in the northern Gaza Strip, sofrustrating the Sharon government’s no-go tactic in this region and effortsto curb Qassam attacks. This Palestinian force therefore provides the Qassam missile crews with a protective umbrella against Israeli artillery, which isforced to confine its shelling to vacant land.Taking part in the Qassam offensive now are the Jihad Islami and factions ofthe Al Aqsa Brigades backed and paid by the Fatah old guard, led by prime minister Ahmed Qureia, which is now at war with Mahmoud Abbas. If Abbas refuses to postpone the January 25 election - in obedience to their diktat -these groups plus the PRC will re-ignite full-scale attacks on Israel. Thisis designed to prompt large-scale Israeli retaliation and generate a crisis that precludes voting - and so deprive Hamas of its predicted victory. Their deadline for this ultimatum is Jan. 1. Israel has thus become a hostage to the Palestinian factional war. Earlier Monday, a Fatah-al Aqsa Brigades spokesman revealed the acquisitionof new missiles of 25km range, the first able to reach to points north ofAshkelon. He spoke of creating a Palestinian buffer belt on Israeli territory north of the Gaza Strip.
I can't sleep so I'm posting.
I've been on movie watching binge while on vacation this week.
Walk the Line - great movie! Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon do their own singing. My screenwriting seminar leader told the group that Hollywood stars are looking for scripts where they can show the world that they can sing, so expect more biopics of famous singers. Perhaps the LA Times review was right when the reviewer said that the stars sing better than the original, that's sad huh? Gotta love June Carter Cash because she stood by her man through thick and thin.
Munich - again, I have to agree with what the LA Times have been saying about this movie. You'll have to read it to find out. It's definitely worth seeing, but the message is mixed. Superb acting by a wonderful cast, especially Ciaran Hinds who was Captain Wentworth in Persuasion and in Oscar and Lucinda. Eric Bana was also quite good, playing again the reluctant warrior that he so skillfully portrayed in Troy and Blackhawk Down. It is Speilberg's most mature and most ambitious movie of his career and it makes you think. At least it did me.
Aeon Flux - yes, I had to see the movie even though it got bad reviews. If you're a Charlize Theron fan then you have to see it because there be lots of pratically nekkid shots of her. Love her nightgown by the way. The movie had amazing special effects, and I really liked the story. It's a great scifi story with a love story thrown in. I would definitely see this again.
Syriana - a very good but complicated movie value wise. All the critics are putting it on their top ten list. The movie was written and directed by the guy who wrote Traffic. If you liked how Traffic looked at the drug trade, you'll like how this guy dealt with the oil situation. Sadly, it is that complicated and morally ambigious. There are no easy answers to the problems in that part of the country, despite what the war protestors tell you. And if you're driving a gas guzzling car and not living off the grid then you, like everyone else is very dependent on oil.
And may I remind you that the policy to protect America's oil interests at all costs was set forth by former democratic president Jimmy Carter during the Arab oil embargo in the 1970's, and that every american president including Clinton has followed that policy.
What I admired was how the writer brought in the Chinese question. Once China gets a hold of the oil and that country is doing all it can to do it, expect gas and oil prices and the price of everything connected to oil to rise including heating, electricity and food because foods has to get trucked in from somewhere to rise. Once the Chinese get the oil they need, their financial markets will make the US financial markets seem like a medieval village trading show. And when that happens, and it's when not if, then well, we will all be in a mess of trouble.
I've been on movie watching binge while on vacation this week.
Walk the Line - great movie! Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon do their own singing. My screenwriting seminar leader told the group that Hollywood stars are looking for scripts where they can show the world that they can sing, so expect more biopics of famous singers. Perhaps the LA Times review was right when the reviewer said that the stars sing better than the original, that's sad huh? Gotta love June Carter Cash because she stood by her man through thick and thin.
Munich - again, I have to agree with what the LA Times have been saying about this movie. You'll have to read it to find out. It's definitely worth seeing, but the message is mixed. Superb acting by a wonderful cast, especially Ciaran Hinds who was Captain Wentworth in Persuasion and in Oscar and Lucinda. Eric Bana was also quite good, playing again the reluctant warrior that he so skillfully portrayed in Troy and Blackhawk Down. It is Speilberg's most mature and most ambitious movie of his career and it makes you think. At least it did me.
Aeon Flux - yes, I had to see the movie even though it got bad reviews. If you're a Charlize Theron fan then you have to see it because there be lots of pratically nekkid shots of her. Love her nightgown by the way. The movie had amazing special effects, and I really liked the story. It's a great scifi story with a love story thrown in. I would definitely see this again.
Syriana - a very good but complicated movie value wise. All the critics are putting it on their top ten list. The movie was written and directed by the guy who wrote Traffic. If you liked how Traffic looked at the drug trade, you'll like how this guy dealt with the oil situation. Sadly, it is that complicated and morally ambigious. There are no easy answers to the problems in that part of the country, despite what the war protestors tell you. And if you're driving a gas guzzling car and not living off the grid then you, like everyone else is very dependent on oil.
And may I remind you that the policy to protect America's oil interests at all costs was set forth by former democratic president Jimmy Carter during the Arab oil embargo in the 1970's, and that every american president including Clinton has followed that policy.
What I admired was how the writer brought in the Chinese question. Once China gets a hold of the oil and that country is doing all it can to do it, expect gas and oil prices and the price of everything connected to oil to rise including heating, electricity and food because foods has to get trucked in from somewhere to rise. Once the Chinese get the oil they need, their financial markets will make the US financial markets seem like a medieval village trading show. And when that happens, and it's when not if, then well, we will all be in a mess of trouble.
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